Dewar's 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Dewar’s Double Aged

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Amber

Nose: Sweet Nose with Honey, Toffee, Malt, Sweet Grain and Oak. Give it time to open up as there is some Alcohol there. Some Fruity Tones (Citrus Zest or Lemon Marmalade) and traces of Heather and Buttered Toast.

Taste: The Palate is quite smooth and confirms the Nose with rather sweet Honey and Caramel. Light Spices appear (think Cinnamon) alongside Butter, Oak and Fruitcake.

Finish: Sugary, Light Spices, Oak and Licorice

I added a few drops of water and you get some more Fruity tones on the Nose. But the Palate does not really show a lot of changes so I prefer to drink this Blend neat.

Rating: 80

Nose:  20.5 – Taste: 20.5 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 20

General Remarks: This Blend is Double Aged. This means that after the initial maturation of more than 11 years, the around 40 whiskies that are part of the Dewar’s 12 Years are blended together and return to Oak Casks for an additional marriage of 6 months. The Highland Single Malt Aberfeldy lies at the heart of the Dewar’s 12 Years Blend.

Aberfeldy Distillery

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: I can’t get really excited about this Blend because it’s too Sweet and there’s very few flavors out there to balance it out. But it's not bad although a bit overpriced. And, it’s completely drinkable, to a point where you have to remind yourself it has 40% Alcohol. It’s almost like whisky flavoured Honey liquor! One thing is clear though. It’s a very big step up from the rather unpleasant White Label!

Jan van den Ende                                                                       May 5, 2012